Updated July 18, 2026
How it works
Divide paver length by 12 and paver width by 12 to convert each to feet, then multiply them together to get the area of one paver in square feet. Divide total patio area by paver area, multiply by (1 + waste / 100), and round up to the nearest whole paver.
The paver counts and base depths above follow Inch Calculator's paver base reference, cited below.
The short answer
A standard 4 by 8 inch brick paver takes about 4.5 pavers to cover one square foot. Multiply your patio square footage by 4.5, then add 10 to 15 percent for cuts and breakage. That count gives you the field pavers. Borders, soldier courses, and odd-angle cuts push the real number a little higher, which is what the waste percentage is for.
Worked example
Say you are laying a 12 by 10 foot patio. That is 120 square feet. A 4 by 8 paver measures 32 square inches, and 32 divided by 144 is 0.222 square feet, so one paver covers a hair over a fifth of a square foot. Divide 120 by 0.222 and you get 540 pavers for the bare field. Add 10 percent waste and you are at 594. Run a herringbone or a 45 degree diagonal and you will want 15 percent instead, which puts you near 621. Round up to the next full pallet or bundle your supplier sells, never down.
How to measure a patio
Measure length and width at the longest points and multiply for the area. For an L-shaped or stepped patio, break it into rectangles, find each area, and add them. Curved edges are easier to handle if you draw the curve inside a rectangle, calculate the full rectangle, and trim 15 to 20 percent off by eye. Measure twice. A tape that slips by half a foot on a long run can throw your count off by dozens of pavers.
Pavers per square foot by size
| Paver size | Coverage each | Pavers per sq ft |
|---|---|---|
| 4 x 8 in | 0.222 sq ft | 4.5 |
| 6 x 6 in | 0.25 sq ft | 4.0 |
| 6 x 9 in | 0.375 sq ft | 2.7 |
| 12 x 12 in | 1.0 sq ft | 1.0 |
The base matters more than the count
Most paver failures are base failures, not paver failures. A residential patio wants 4 to 6 inches of compacted gravel base topped with 1 inch of bedding sand, so plan to excavate 5 to 7 inches below your finish grade. Driveways carry vehicle loads and need 6 to 8 inches of compacted base. Compact the gravel in lifts of 2 to 3 inches rather than dumping it all at once, or the bottom never sets up. Screed the sand flat but do not compact it before laying; you compact the whole field at the end with a plate compactor over the pavers.
Tips from the field
- Order a few extra square feet of pavers from the same production lot and stash them. Color runs shift between batches, and a cracked paver three years from now is impossible to match off the shelf.
- Dry-lay a row before you commit. It shows you how the pattern lands at the edges and whether you can shift a joint to avoid a sliver cut.
- Slope the finished surface about 1/4 inch per foot away from the house for drainage.
- Buy polymeric jointing sand for the joints, not play sand. It locks the field together and resists weeds and washout.
Buying context
Concrete pavers are sold by the piece, the bundle, or the pallet, and pallet counts vary by size and manufacturer, so confirm the per-pallet coverage before you order. Pricing runs widely by style and region, and clay pavers cost more than plain concrete. The bedding sand and gravel base are usually the cheap part of the bill; the labor and the pavers are where the money goes.
Sources: Inch Calculator paver base data.